Nanostructures, such as carbon nanotube (CNT)-based materials, have been increasingly used in a multitude of disparate applications. For example, some CNT-based applications have involved a thin, sub-monolayer network of interconnected CNTs. These electronically conducting films can be highly transparent due to their nano-scale thickness (e.g., <50 nm), and represent a unique class of materials for transparent electrodes and many other applications.
While nanomaterial structures such as CNT networks have been used in certain applications, their use has been limited in many applications such as those benefiting from or requiring high levels of transparency and conductivity. For example, various high-end applications such as displays and photovoltaics often benefit from the use of one or more electrodes that possess high optical transparency and high conductivity. Achieving such transparency and conductivity levels with nanomaterials such as CNT networks has been challenging due to a variety of factors, such as those involving the formation of CNT networks and variations in the characteristics of nanomaterials such as CNTs (e.g., chiralities, diameters). Moreover, junctions between nanostructures can be highly resistive. In addition, modifying nanomaterials to achieve desired properties has been burdensome or otherwise difficult, is oftentimes temporary, commonly involves toxic materials, and can be expensive.
These and other issues remain challenges to a variety of methods, devices and systems that use or benefit from nanostructures.